Hey guys.   We have been working back in Brisbane for what feels like forever.   Well for me anyway.   I cant wait to get back out on the high seas with our new vessel Bedar.   Nikki has been studying hard and doing a lot of medical exams to meet her goal of becoming an Infectious Disease and Microbiology specialist.  With her qualifications, we hope to make a difference on our next cruise. We hope to make some difference in bringing up certain medical standards in the Soloman Islands and beyond, something Nikki has already achieved in an ongoing project there.

Knotty Lady has been up on the hard while we repair the damage caused by the whale, which you can find in our blog on the August 2012 page.    I am impressed at how the final repairs turned out.   Its much stronger than it was when new with bigger cleats and much more glass in the area than standard.   It has a new railing and the anchor roller has been rebuilt at is was also bent in the incident.  Just need to do the railing and nav lights.

http://knottyladypacific.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/disaster-hit-by-whale-apparently-we.html

We did not plan to buy a new boat so we were getting Knotty Lady back to great condition for our next cruise.   I even purchased a flexofold prop to increase sailing performance.  To get it to fit I need to remove the drive shaft, and to get the drive shaft out I needed to get the rudder out!   

When I finally got it out I found this corrosion on the rudder shaft.   So that meant a new rudder needed to be built and installed.   The new rudder fits great and has an even stronger shaft than before.   The bearings have been worked and now there is no play either so steering should feel great along with the new prop.   I cant wait to see how she goes when I finally test sail her!

After everything is back to A1 condition she will be put up for sale.  So if anyone is interested let us know soon.